Storage dispensers for keeping sliced bread fresh and dispensing the bread slice by slice when desired are well known in the art. For example, Hilton, et al. 2,426,999 Sep. 9, 1947 stacks unwrapped slices and removes the bottom slice laterally with a sliding mechanism. However, the slices may become damaged by dragging them across the bottom of the pile, and the mechanisms contact the bread with a tendency to introduce pollutants or breed bacterial and they are hard to reach and difficult to sanitize. A similar dispenser, Ortiz U. Pat. No. 4,034,895, Jul. 12, 1977 feeds bread slices down an inclined chute and has an internal inaccessible separating mechanism which contacts the bread with the objective of avoiding compression of the slices, but the sanitation problems are not eliminated. Other such bread dispensers with internally hidden dispensing mechanisms that create a breeding ground for bacteria and can introduce external pollutants to contact the bread are also found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Grigsby, et al. 4,905,869, Mar. 6, 1990; Honas 3,833,148, Sep. 3, 1974; Stanford 4,213,540, Jul. 22, 1980; Danow 3,578,207, May 11, 1971 and House 4,000,831, Jan. 4, 1977.
Furthermore in each of these prior art dispensers the bread slices are subject to distortion in storage and/or removal. Also they are constructed so that they permit entry and exit of air in such a manner that contributes to bread staleness by removing moisture.
Also these prior art devices require careful attention and special care in removing bread from wrappers to store it, and in dispensing bread, and cleaning or sanitizing the dispenser. As the bread is handled to store and load into the dispensers, thus taking time and trouble, it also provides the opportunity to introduce contaminants. Furthermore, this prior art provides systems for storing loaves of bread and dispensing bread slices more complex to use than the conventional retrieval of a wrapped loaf from a storage drawer, removing a closure fastener wire or clip, removing a slice, reclosing the wrapper and returning the loaf to it storage bin.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide improved bread storage and dispensing apparatus and methods which reduce the chances for contamination.
Another object of this invention is to provide improved bread storage and dispensing apparatus and systems that are simpler and easier to use and maintain than prior art systems.